Friday, December 11, 2009

Graduate Student Profiles

In an effort to highlight the remarkable graduate student research here at Brown Engineering, we are creating a series of profiles that will highlight their work. Below are previews, to see the full profile details, click here."The catchphrase of our lab is “Atoms to Autos,” which means that we work on incorporating basic scientific research that begins at the atomic scale into larger and larger scale models eventually making improvements to the design of new GM automobiles."

"My research interests concern the exploration of multiprocessing techniques for low-power embedded systems (like smartphones, game consoles, etc.), and the development of design methods to improve the yield of 3D integrated circuits."

"BrainGate2 is an investigational device that we hope will one day enable people with paralysis to control external devices, such as a computer cursor, simply by mentally attempting the motion, essentially turning thought into action."

"Lead is added to Sn solder in electronic devices to inhibit defects (called “whiskers”) which result in failures and a shorter product life. I’m trying to understand how lead prevents defects and to find an environmentally friendly replacement that works equally well."

"The end goal of the influenza project is to develop a small, low cost, sensitive microfluidic assay to detect the presence and type of influenza in patient samples. Ideally, this device would integrated several tasks normally done in a laboratory such that it could be used at the point of care."